If you’re a beginner climber wanting to learn more about your new hobby and have wondered about the answers to questions like; Is climbing expensive? Is there a secret language I’m supposed to use? Is climbing an expensive hobby? Then you’re in the right place! I’m excited to share the many spoken and unspoken aspects about rock climbing for beginners.
1. Do All Climbers Live in Vans and Smoke Weed?
While many people live out of their vehicles for many reasons, they aren’t all climbers, and they don’t all smoke weed. I believe the “stoner-climber-living-out-of-their-van” stereotype comes from multiple stereotypes. The stereotype that people who smoke weed are “lazy bums” and the stereotype that people who live out of their vehicle are “lazy bums.” For some people, when they think of one of these types of people, they associate it with the other.
Climbers come from all walks of life. There isn’t a “one-climber-fits-all” stereotype, and that’s the beauty of this sport. People with nothing in common can bond over a shared passion.
If you genuinely care about the stereotype of weed-smoking van-dwellers, please ask yourself one question: “How does their life affect mine?” I’m willing to bet it doesn’t. Many other climbers spend hours a week training to improve, while others enjoy many other hobbies. The bottom line is that everybody has their own lifestyle. If their personal choices don’t harm anybody, why should it matter?
2. Do Climbers Speak Their Own Language?
Have you ever been at the climbing gym and heard terms like “Jug, crimp, or beta” and have no idea what they mean? If you’re too nervous to ask a fellow gym-goer these rock climbing questions, I’ll describe what many of them for you. These are examples of jargon used in the climbing community. While some terms have meanings unrelated to climbing, there are plenty of words used by climbers to help them understand how to climb a particular boulder problem/route. First, I’ll introduce the…
Different styles of climbing:
Bouldering: A style of climbing that is done without technical gear. Bouldering is climbing, typically up a wall up to 15 feet, but it can also be shorter/taller! All that is needed to perform is a crash pad (a big mattress-looking thing) to cushion falls. The way up is considered a “problem” when climbing a boulder. (It must be solved to reach the top!)
Sport Climbing: “Wait, isn’t all climbing a sport???” Sport climbing refers to climbing rock faces using bolts that are drilled or glued into the wall, clipping quickdraws with the rope as you ascend.
Trad Climbing: Trad refers to traditional. This was just considered “climbing” until sport climbing was introduced around the 80s and 90s. Trad climbing uses passive and active gear placed in a rock’s weaknesses for protection, such as a crack, that can be removed.
(Route: Refers to the way up a rock face during sport/trad climbing)
Free Solo: This is the most dangerous form of climbing. It refers to climbing a route without protection, where a fall almost certainly means death. (I never advise free soloing).
Beta: Beta is the “how-to” in rock climbing. When asking for the beta on a climbing problem, you ask how to move your body to reach the top.
Next, I’ll share some common terms you might hear when climbing that refer to different handholds or body movements.
Climbing Holds:
Jug: Large and can be used by most or your whole hand.
Crimp: Small and used by just your fingers.
Pinch: You pinch it! But with as much of your hand as you can.
Sloper: It’ll make sense when you look at it. This hold is rounded and has no distinct feature to grab it, requiring you to rely on friction.
Pocket: This could be slopey, pinchy, or juggy, but you likely can only fit a few fingers in these.
Mono: This pocket can only be used with one finger.
Climbing movements:
Flagging: Counterbalancing by using a limb to shift your weight.
Dyno: Jumping to reach the next hold. (Popular in competition climbing)
Toe Hook: Using the top of your foot to hold your balance or reach for another hold.
Heel Hook: Same idea as a toe hook but using your heel. (Shorter climbers use this often to climb statically)
3. Do Climbers Have a Favorite Type of Rock?
As a beginner climber, you may not have a favorite type of rock yet. While I can’t speak for all climbers out there, I certainly have a favorite! Here are the 3 main different types of rock that are climbed outside.
- Granite: Formed by the cooling of magma within the earth’s surface, granite consists of quartz and feldspar, making it an extremely hard rock.
(I know what you’re thinking, “Aren’t all rocks hard?” While, yes, rocks are hard, but some are harder than others)
- Limestone: Formed underwater from ancient coral reefs and skeletal fragments of living organisms, limestone is composed of aragonite and calcite and is generally erosion resistant, meaning it forms in long cliff bands.
- Sandstone: While the softest of the three, it is formed by piles of sediment compressed by the weight of overlying debris; sandstone is found in layers. Each layer represents a different environment in which it was formed, which gives it its multicolored appearance.
(Sandstone is fragile and can easily erode by rain and weather. Never climb on wet sandstone. Always dig a few inches into the earth at the base of a sandstone cliff to check if the soil is damp. If it is, come back another day.)
4. How do Climbers Deal with Their Fear of Heights?
Immersion therapy? But seriously, overcoming a fear of heights takes a long time; I can personally attest to this. I wouldn’t say my fear of heights was deathly when I was a beginner climber, but I certainly wasn’t comfortable climbing higher than 15 feet. For me, it was about learning how to trust the gear and my partners.
Once I realized, “Yes, this rope will keep me from falling to the ground,” I exploded with confidence. Take it one foot at a time to tackle your fear of heights. If you work on getting a little further off the ground each time you climb, you’ll be 60 ft in the air in no time! I also recommend taking small falls to build your trust in gear. Then, start implementing bigger falls as you feel more comfortable, and you’ll be cruising up routes like it’s nobody’s business!
5. Are There Any Secret Handshakes Among Climbers?
While I’m not in the loop of any secret climbing handshakes, I’ll share my favorite way to inform my belayer I’m climbing.
Okay, say I’m at the base of a route, and we’ve done all our double-checks. So I’m preparing to climb, but instead of the old communication of:
Climber: “Climbing.”
Belayer: “Climb on.”
I like to use the following:
Climber: “Dude on rock.”
Belayer: “Rock on, dude.”
This is a little back-and-forth fun you can have with your partners. Remember, communication is critical. It doesn’t matter how you communicate with your partners; understanding each other is all that matters.
6. Is Climbing an Expensive Hobby?
The answer to this question will depend on what you determine as expensive. Still, I can give you the rundown on the initial investment that it takes to rock climb at the cheapest rate:
Rock Climbing Shoes: $90 – $110
Harness: $50 – $60
Chalk + Chalk Bag: $25
60m Rope: $170
Set of 6 Quickdraws: $100
Belay Device: $25 – $50 (Depending if you want an assisted breaking device)
Crash Pad: $200
With all of this in mind, the cheapest cost to go sport climbing is roughly $460 with 6 quickdraws (often, you’ll find routes where you’ll need more) and just approximately $315 to go bouldering. Also, if you climb with others who already have gear, people usually are okay sharing their gear.
Remember, you’re purchasing gear that keeps you from being fatally injured. Therefore, buying the appropriate gear is essential so you can keep rock climbing!
7. How do Climbers Stay Motivated?
This will lie within yourself. How do we stay motivated to do anything? By setting (reasonable) goals and working toward them, we find that our body positively responds to achieving something we have set out to do. You must find the type of goal for you. Our goals won’t look the same, so I shouldn’t feel dissatisfied if I don’t achieve what you’ve been working toward and vice versa. We need to focus on our own goals, and by recognizing the progress we make (even if it’s tiny!), is a great way to stay motivated.
8. Are There Any Unwritten Rules in the Climbing World?
I’m glad you asked because, yes! I’ll mention the two most prominent:
- Beta Spraying: Don’t do it! This is when you give unsolicited advice to a climber about how to climb. If you want to give somebody advice, ask if they’re open to receiving it first. I can’t stand it when I’m climbing a route, and somebody walking by stops and starts yelling at me where the good holds are. Either I’ll find them on my own or I won’t, that’s why I like climbing, it’s my own journey!
- Tick Marks: Brush them! This is like beta spraying, but instead of the climber yelling at you, they painted a picture of the good holds in chalk so you know where to go. Ticking is marking a spot on the wall where you want to reach for or place your foot. It takes the unknown out of rock climbing. As I just mentioned, climbing is my own personal journey. Let me take it by myself!
9. What’s the Most Challenging Aspect of Climbing?
This will depend entirely on you. Of course, as the grades get harder, you need to be stronger, but what may be the most challenging for me may not be the most challenging for you.
There is a lot of uncomfortableness associated with beginning climbing. From trusting gear, learning to move your body, and learning to fall correctly. Some beginner climbers might do great with trusting a rope to catch them but are afraid of falling while bouldering. In contrast, some climbers like that they have the control of landing their body on the ground but don’t trust gear to hold them 40 ft up in the air.
It’s all person dependent. Remember, though, that so much of climbing is a mental game. Growing your confidence in uncomfortable situations will allow you to push past the boundaries you once had.
10. Can you Really Climb your Way to Happiness?
While climbing can be an excellent tool for making you happy, it shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all. Happiness comes from within, and if climbing brings you joy, great! However, it’s unhealthy to let climbing be the only thing that brings you joy. If you’re lucky, you’ll never injure yourself. But if you do, you’ll find that your climbing time stops while you recover. If climbing was the only thing that brought you happiness, you’d have a rough recovery time.
However, climbing has terrific benefits for your mental health. From forcing you to be present in the moment to overcome your fear of failure, (every climber fails, trust me) to growing your confidence, climbing can be a great way to help you overcome some struggles with your mental health. Just don’t let it be the only way to make you happy.
These rock climbing questions are a great way to familiarize yourself with the sport. Climbing is a beautiful way to engage with nature, push your boundaries, and grow your confidence. Remember that communication is key, no matter how you do it, and that buying climbing gear is an investment for your life. Here’s to hoping you find your favorite type of rock.
Korey Tockes is an avid rock climber and writer pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. He shares his passion for climbing as a writer for HMH Outdoors’ publication ‘Harness’ and as the Senior Content Writer for iwannabeaclimber.com. With just under a decade of experience, Korey worked as a climbing instructor and coach and has climbed in various locations across the US. His favorite place to climb is in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Korey’s extensive travels and outdoor experience enrich his writing and allow him to connect with readers through his love for climbing.
